When was the ruhr invasion

The Majority Social-Democrats allowed themselves to become prisoners of the military reaction and of the Officers' Corps. The Communists lost their best and wisest leader, Rosa Luxemburg, by murder and deteriorated into a rabble which accepted orders from Moscow, and Moscow was quite ignorant of German affairs. The whole history of Germany during this time was one frightful tragedy which led to Armageddon Number Two.

I left Germany with a feeling of despair, the very opposite to what I had experienced when I left Russia with a feeling of hope and enthusiasm. But perhaps I was now getting more experienced and possibly more sceptical of humanity than I had been when I was in Russia. That does not, however, entirely explain my attitude. As the world economies were linked through international business, the Wall Street Crash resulted in an international depression.

As a result of this international depression, and the need for money at home, the USA called in their international loans. Germany was reliant on international loans and investment. They had used these, as explored above, to rebuild their economy after the war and hyperinflation crisis, and invest in new schools, businesses and hospitals. As the USA removed this investment, Germany fell into another economic crisis. When created, the Weimar Republic was hailed as one of the most democratic governments in Europe.

Despite this, it lasted just fifteen years. The republic had many democratic strengths. It allowed individual freedoms for everyone. This granted the right to free speech, the right to equality and the right to religion to every German citizen.

All adults over the age of twenty could vote. The voting system used was Proportional Representation , a fair system in which parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes cast for them. This system was used to elect the president and the Reichstag.

From onwards the republic also had a new currency, and following the implementation Dawes Plan, experienced a period of relative economic stability. Proportional Representation was a very democratic electoral system, but it allowed lots of parties to be elected to the Reichstag. No one party was ever elected with a majority. This meant that parties had to form coalitions to rule. Coalitions often disagreed on laws and policies due to their differing views, which made it extremely difficult to govern decisively.

In addition to the above, Article 48 of the constitution gave the president authority to rule by decree in the state of an emergency, bypassing the elected Reichstag. The reliance on foreign loans following the Dawes Plan led to a severe economic depression following the Wall Street Crash. This ultimately led to further political instability, and eventually, contributed to the end of democratic government.

Finally, many of the old conservative elite who had held key positions of power under the monarchy had continued in similar roles in the Weimar Republic. Whilst this was an attempt to maintain stability in government as the new republic settled, it in fact meant that these civil servants and military leaders still had enormous influence and power.

The power and influence of the conservative elite would later be crucial in appointing Hitler as chancellor. Image shows a copy of the Editorship Law. On 3 October , shortly after its defeat, France introduced its first antisemitic law under occupation - the Statut de Juifs. Section: How did the Nazis rise to power?

What was the Holocaust? Life before the Holocaust Antisemitism How did the Nazis rise to power? Life in Nazi-controlled Europe What were the ghettos and camps? How and why did the Holocaust happen?

Resistance, responses and collaboration Survival and legacy Resources Educational Resources Timeline Survivor testimonies About us How to use this site. Advanced content hidden Showing advanced content. A map of the Weimar Republic from The Reichstag met in the building pictured here, also named the Reichstag, in Berlin.

To deal with the economic crisis, the government printed more money. As a result of this, money dropped in value, as more of it was in circulation.

This was called hyperinflation. Here, a banker counts stacks of money. A group of workers in a bakery count stacks of Reichmark notes in the midst of the hyperinflation. Industries failed and unemployment rose to 6 million. Social unrest followed, as people starved. The French believed that the Weimar Government could pay and that it was testing international patience.

The French aimed to extract the unpaid reparations and took control of key industries and natural resources. However, at times, Germany could not pay the reparations. In December , Germany stopped paying.

In retaliation, the French army invaded the Ruhr and seized goods and factories to make up for the lack of payment. Germany could not respond with force as its military was too weak, so the German government ordered workers to resist the occupation using passive resistance. Workers in the Ruhr went on strike and refused to assist the French occupiers. The French did not take kindly to the strikes and proceeded to arrest anyone who was unhelpful to the occupation.